Lucian Article

Lucian summary

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Lucian , or Lucianos Latin Lucianus, (born c. ad 120, Samosata, Commagene, Syria—died after 180, Athens), Ancient Greek rhetorician, pamphleteer, and satirist. As a young man he acquired a Greek literary education while traveling through western Asia Minor. He became a public speaker before turning to writing essays. His works, outstanding for their mordant wit, are a sophisticated critique of the shams and follies of the literature, philosophy, and intellectual life of his day. In such works as Charon, Dialogues of the Dead, True History, and Nigrinus, he satirized nearly every aspect of human behaviour. His best work of literary criticism is How to Write History.